Economic Impact Model for the Transportation Network in Canada

No. T8080-240138
Advance Contract Award Notice

Economic Impact Model for the Transportation Network in Canada
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

BACKGROUND:
Transport Canada’s (TC) Transportation & Economic Analysis (TEA) directorate is responsible for providing comprehensive, evidence-based analysis to support decision-making related to Canada's transportation network. As the nation's transportation system, we play a crucial role in economic growth and regional development, understanding the economic impact of changes to this network is essential for informed policymaking.
Transport Canada has identified significant gaps in its ability to assess these impacts, particularly in relation to multi-regional effects, GDP changes, employment shifts, and the implications for both foreign and domestic trade. These gaps hinder the department's capacity to evaluate how modifications in the transportation network—whether due to infrastructure projects, policy changes, or external factors—affect the broader Canadian economy.
To address these challenges, TC seeks to acquire a ready-made economic impact model that utilizes the latest Canadian national and provincial input-output data. This model will enable the TEA directorate to conduct detailed economic analyses, allowing for scenario testing and the assessment of various impacts across different regions and sectors. The objective is to enhance the department's ability to provide robust, data-driven insights into the economic consequences of transportation network changes, thereby supporting the government's broader economic and infrastructure strategies.

DEFINITION OF REQUIREMENTS:
Transport Canada requires a comprehensive economic impact model to fill critical gaps in its ability to assess the economic consequences of changes to the transportation network across Canada and its regions. The model must be capable of evaluating the multi-regional impacts of various transportation scenarios on key economic indicators, including GDP, employment, trade, and sector-specific outcomes.
The model should be based on the most recent (2020) Canadian national and provincial input-output data, allowing for a detailed analysis of both current and historical economic conditions. The model must provide results in both current and constant dollars and be able to compare these results against historical data. This capability is essential to ensure that Transport Canada can accurately assess the economic impacts of disruption to the transportation network, proposed transportation policies, as well as infrastructure projects.
The model should also offer web-based access tools, support at least five users, and include technical support services to ensure that Transport Canada can fully utilize the model's capabilities over the contract period. Furthermore, the model must allow for the permanent retention of downloaded data, ensuring that Transport Canada maintains a comprehensive historical record of its economic impact analyses.
This economic impact model will play a vital role in supporting Transport Canada's mandate to provide data-driven insights and recommendations regarding the national and regional transportation network's economic impacts.

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES (MINIMUM ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Transport Canada is seeking a service provider who can provide an economic impact model using the most recent (2020) Canadian national and provincial input-output data that meets all the mandatory requirements set out below. Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets these requirements:
1. The economic impact model must have the capacity to provide economic impacts of scenarios which would show the following results:
o National GDP impacts
o Provincial GDP Impacts
o National employment impacts
o Provincial employment impacts
o Impact on sectors based on NAICS
o Import and export impacts, and
o Results in both current and constant dollars.

2. The economic impact model must have the ability to compare the results from previous historical data from 2017-2020, inclusive, Statistics Canada’s input-output tables:
o National GDP impacts
o Provincial GDP Impacts
o National employment impacts
o Provincial employment impacts
o Impact on sectors based on NAICS
o Import and export impacts, and
o Results in both current and constant dollars.

3. The economic impact model must allow the extraction of data in a tabular format and integration into a software, such as Microsoft Excel, to conduct analysis and create reports/dashboards;

4. The economic impact model must allow permanent retention of the downloaded data;

5. The economic impact model must enable access to the data web-based access tools;

6. The economic impact model must allow at least 5 users, and

7. The economic impact model must provide technical support services.

 
APPLICABILITY OF THE TRADE AGREEMENT(S) TO THE PROCUREMENT:
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:
a. Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
b. Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
c. Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
d. Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement
e. Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement
f. Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement
g. Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)

JUSTIFICATION FOR PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER:
Transport Canada intends to award a contract to the IMPLAN to acquire a subscription to access required current and historical economic impact model through web-based tools. IMPLAN is identified as the supplier due to its comprehensive and exclusive data offerings, derived from authoritative sources like Statistics Canada, and its capability to provide extensive economic impact modeling across Canada and its provinces.
Should Canada receive a statement of capabilities from a supplier that contains sufficient information to indicate that it meets the requirements set forth in this ACAN, a competitive process will be triggered with a technical and financial evaluation methodology of the bids proposed by the potential bidders.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS REGULATIONS EXCEPTION:
The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is (are) invoked for this procurement under subsection 6 (d) that states “only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract”.

OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:
Transport Canada has exclusive ownership and rights to use the results of the economic impact model data that TC requires.
PERIOD OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACT:
The proposed contract is for one calendar year ending August 31, 2025. The contract will include two (2) additional one (1) year optional periods.

ESTIMATE COST:
The estimated value of the initial contract period is $50,000 USD (tax excluded). The estimated value of each option period is $45,000 USD per year.
 
NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER:
Supplier: IMPLAN Group LLC
Address: 16905 Northcross Drive, Suite 120, Huntersville, NC 28078, USA

SUPPLIERS’ RIGHT TO SUBMIT A STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES:
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

CLOSING DATE FOR A SUBMISSION OF A STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES:
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is September 6th, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

INQUIRIES AND SUBMISSION OF STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES:
Inquiries and Statement of Capabilities are to be directed to:
Name: Alexandra McCann
Title: Procurement Specialist
Department: Transport Canada
Tel: (343) 575-7847
Email: alexandra.mccann@tc.gc.ca